Sealed Fate
by PokeMaster64
Summary: Prequel to 'The Forest of No Light.' Darkmon are creatures born with evil in their hearts. They are said to be uncaring and destructive. All they know is malice and hate. But what if a Darkmon wanted to abandon their nature? What if they wanted to change their ways? Well, sometimes there's an even greater darkness within evil...that decides your fate.


Darkmon were the shadows of a Pokémon's darkest desires. They were the embodiment of the purest form of evil. Their power was seen as a sin, not suited for the world above, a world of good. Rooted within this evil were powerful creatures bent on obtaining a future where they weren't seen as the world's failures. A forgotten force that the world seeks to ostracize and destroy.

A Darkmon's purpose is to abandon all emotions and face the world with a cold creed. If the world didn't want evil, then they weren't allowed the right to consider themselves experts on morality. They push the matters of goodness and light because that is the way of life. If they so dearly respected that biased balance…

…they'll just have to add more weight to the other side until the scale breaks.

Darkmon were creatures of evil. Their very aura reeked with it. They were monsters in the eyes of humans and Pokémon. They will destroy anything that harbors that good willed attitude. No Darkmon was good. They were all evil.

However, can a Darkmon be good while still being evil?

These were contradicting moralities clashing with each other. The very idea sounded ludicrous. Why would a Darkmon, creatures who've lived under the ideology of destruction and evil, want to the experience of light? Light was their enemy and their weakness, as the ball of burning gas looming over their heads would have burned them to a crisp have it not been for the protective shielding provided by the thick, bunched together leaves of their forest.

Why would they want to feel? If you are stripped of positivity, you are broken down to the lowest form of yourself, crumbling with despair. You become the monster you feared. For the Darkmon, they have nothing to gain or lose. Evil has been the minority for centuries. Losing a battle only makes them fight back. Losing a comrade only strengthens their numbers.

What was there to gain?

Perhaps that's why some Darkmon, very few in numbers, wish to find that answer for themselves. They wanted to see if there was truly a place for them in the world. There had to be an answer to their creation. Was there a purpose to their reincarnation? Who were they?

Darkmon were creatures of evil, but they had something brewing inside them that had a semblance of emotion to discover. Very few Darkmon wanted that answer.

However, to turn one's back on the Darkmon's ideology was an act of treason. Some Darkmon are quick to accept this fact. Others stubbornly persist on. Change can occur. Answers can be discovered. Then again, how does one find an answer…

…when their fates aren't their choosing?

* * *

Days go by within the Forest of No Light, sometimes uneventful, others filled with battle. Most days, some poor Pokémon would find their way into the forest and face the unspeakable horrors lying in wake. They are hunted, captured, tortured, drained of their energy, and left on the brink of death soon after.

Yet, on this day, the forest had a change in the usual events. Rather than a Darkmon fighting a Pokémon…

…it was five Darkmon fighting the leader of them all.

Dark kept his hands behind his back as he casually dodged the vicious snaps from the sharp teeth of a Dark Houndoom, known as Darkmon 2-7-5-0. While the fur remained black, his muzzle and underbelly were deep purple. The skeletal parts of the body, including the horns, were blood red.

He flashed his red irises before firing Flamethrower into the face of his lord, but he blocked it with only his hand.

He grabbed the mutt by the snout and threw him into the air. He conjured a bubble of water in his hand and fired a powerful stream that sent him careening through the leaves, possibly over the forest itself.

He shook his hand dry, then smirked. "I can sense your movements, 1892." He dodged a quick slash from the Slacker Darkmon, a Dark Slakoth. His fur was red, while the fur around his eyes and the stripes on his back were dark purple. His underbelly was black. Despite his sluggish behavior and lazy expression, he was quite fast.

He swung his arms wildly like whips. "I'll…get you…this time…Lord Dark…" he slowly droned out.

Dark stopped his dodging and held still. The attacks phased through his body, rendering them ineffective. 1892 blinked in confusion, then gasped as a quick, essentially invisible punch slammed into his gut. He held his abdomen as he stumbled backwards.

Dark glanced up for a moment, then chuckled. "Right on cue." He formed a ball of wind in his hand.

2750 reappeared through the trees and came plummeting down to the ground. He never made contact as expected as a force, the ball of wind, slammed into his side and smashed him into 1892. They slammed into a tree and groaned, sprawled out against the ground.

Dark smirked. "You all are pathetic. Can one of you nitwits put up an actual challenge? This is a serious waste of my time."

"Will I suffice?!" a female voice asked, filled with evil, but with an upbeat undertone.

Dark turned, then flew away from a storm of Swift attacks. They chased him down, tracking his every movement. With a grin, he fired flames from his hands, destroying the stars in an explosion.

A speedy, purple blur raced along the air before landing on a tree branch. A Dark Ledian, known as Darkmon 3-0-3-0, although her teammates/friends referred to her as 30-30. She had a black colored body, red antennae, bright purple around her mouth, underbelly, arms and legs, and the inside of her wings, and bright red spots on her back. Her hands were white like regular Ledian.

She punched her fists together with a wide smirk. "Come on, Lord Dark! I'm clearly better than these bozos!" She opened her wings and shot off like a rocket.

Dark smirked, then dodged her fast moving Comet Punch. The flurry of punches whizzed by him harmlessly. They weren't anything dangerous or special. Not like they did a whole lot to hurt anybody. "Faster, maybe." He misdirected her punches with a forceful swipe, staggering her arms briefly. "But certainly not better." He flicked her across the forehead, sending her through the dirt.

2750 picked himself up and growled at 30-30. "What kind of attack was that?! You actually expected to out speed him?!"

The Dark Ledian pushed herself up and rolled her eyes. "Right, because _using fire_ on him would have certainly brought him to his knees."

"At least fire can kill him!" the Dark Houndoom yelled.

1892 groaned, stretching out his limbs. "Can you keep…it down? Some of us…our trying to ignore…the pain in our bodies."

2750 glared at him. "Oh, don't act like you're doing any better! 'Look out everyone, he's going to slap you with his arms like they're made of RUBBER'!"

The Slacker Darkmon chuckled. "I can slash…trees down."

"Lord Dark can FLICK trees down!"

30-30 closed her eyes (which basically looked like the light in her eyes dimmed since her eyes couldn't physically close) and rubbed her face. "My gosh, you two are complete idiots."

"You all are." Their eyes widened as vines sprouted out of the ground and wrapped around them. They coiled around their bodies and tightened down on their limbs, refusing to allow movement. They were hoisted into the air, with Dark floating up to their level. "Your little ambush on me was horribly coordinated. I wouldn't be so disappointed if you'd actually put up a fight."

2750 shook viciously in his ensnarement. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll burn you to a crisp!"

30-30 looked to the side with a smirk. "How did that go the last time?"

"Shut. UP!"

As Dark kept his eyes on the bickering Darkmon, two more were observing from the trees. A Dark Scizor, known as Darkmon 4-4-4-5, with a purple exoskeleton and the same black skin under it. Next to him was a Dark Treecko, known as Darkmon 4-6, with red skin, dark red tail, and black underbelly.

46 narrowed his eyes. He wasn't much of a fighter, but he was a decent strategist. Though, it wasn't very useful when your 'allies' were blood crazed lunatics. 4445 was, however, a lot more patient than them and was willing to take orders.

"He has his back turned to us. Should I strike?" 4445 asked quietly.

46 narrowed his eyes. "It's a little risky. He might launch a counterattack, but I have a plan for that. Just get in there and land some hard hits."

The Dark Scizor punched his pincers together. "Right." He extended his wings out and used Quick Attack, leaping at his lord in a perfectly straight line.

Dark heard this and turned around. 4445, before the Darkmon lord could do anything, launched Bullet Punch, combined with the speed of his Quick Attack. The punches were invisible to the untrained eye.

Still, Dark didn't even flinch from the blows. He grabbed 4445 by the wrists and stopped his assault. "4445…was this your plan? Surely you could have done better."

The Dark Scizor smirked. "Maybe not I, but someone else. 46, now!"

Dark's eye darted back as he saw the Dark Treecko leap out of the trees with his cheeks puffed out. He exhaled Dragon Breath, hitting the Darkmon lord hard against the back. 4445 ripped his arms out of Dark's hold and jumped off him to gain some distance. He charged black and purple energy into his pincers before firing Hyper Beam, colliding against his lord and exploding with the Dragon Breath.

46 landed on the ground and smiled. "Hey, I think we did it…"

2750 fired Flamethrower into the vines, releasing himself and the others. "You really think so?"

30-30 crossed her arms and smirked. "Of course we did! We're awesome!"

1892 rubbed his chin. "I don't know…something seems off…about this…" He shook his head. "A blast like that…shouldn't take him out…so easily…"

"How so?"

4445 was close to touching down on the ground, but he never did. A hand gripped him by the neck. His allies looked up to see Dark, perfectly fine. "Overconfident much?" He threw the Dark Scizor down in front of them. "You really think all five of you had the combined strength that stacked up to mine? Pathetic."

They tried to run, but a wall of earth stopped them from leaving. Their eyes widened as they felt a build up in energy behind them. The moment they turned around, they were engulfed in shadowy energy that ate away at their stamina. The blast destroyed the earth wall behind them before they themselves were knocked back.

Once the attack ended, they were seeing sprawled out on the ground with severe scorch marks stretching across their bodies. They pushed themselves up, painfully.

46 held his head. "My head's ringing…" Suddenly, a psychic force wrapped around his neck and lifted him into the air. The force was cutting off his oxygen.

Dark narrowed his eyes at the Dark Treecko. "I take it you're the ring leader of this little operation."

"Let him go, Lord Dark!" 30-30 shouted.

"Silence." He flicked his claws, blasting a sharp bolt of electricity through her head. She collapsed immediately. He turned back to 46, whose eyes were going dull. "What right do you have to attack your master on such a pitiful fashion?"

Dark lessened his psychic grip, allowing 46 to speak. "We just…wanted to be free. We don't want this life anymore…"

The lord narrowed his eyes. "Who gave you that choice? Yourself?" He smirked. "You'd make a great leader, I'm sure. But you're still an underling." He released him, letting him drop to the ground and inhale as much air as he could. "Let me remind you all who's in charge here. As long as I am Lord of the Darkmon, I'm the one who runs your lives. Every action you make will be the result of my command. Insubordination such as this is punishable to the highest offense." He raised his claws, flexing them. "I should just execute you all for your act of treason."

The Darkmon immediately bowed their heads to their lord. "Lord Dark, please reconsider!" 46 begged. "If anyone should be executed, it's me! I'm the one who staged this attempt on your life, not them. They only followed along. Punish them if you must, but just execute me."

2750 snarled at the Dark Treecko. "Way to sell yourself short, idiot." 30-30 punched him in the side. "Ow! What was that for?!"

Dark narrowed his eyes on the Dark Treecko. "You truly wish to have these accomplices of yours spared?"

"Yes, my lord," he responded immediately. "They are very strong Darkmon. They don't deserve the death sentence. I may be part of the original hundred Darkmon created, but my usefulness only lies with my intelligence. I'm only useful as a strategist. My own skill that is greatly surpassed by you, glorious Darkmon ruler."

Dark crossed his arms, then stepped towards the bowing dark gecko. He flexed his claws, almost like he was ready to slash him into a bloody mess. The other four stared at those claws in curiosity, with probably the smallest traces of fear reflecting off their eyes. 46 kept his head down, as a sign of respect and to keep from making eye contact with the lord's fear inducing stare.

"Darkmon 4-6…rise." He stood up, head still lowered. Dark stared intensely at the supposedly brave Darkmon. He was rather impressed with how much charge he was taking over this laughable assassination attempt. Signs of his cowardice showed from his shaking legs, but he could see the willpower he was implementing to keep them still.

Dark closed his eyes, then smiled. "…quit acting like a brat and smile like a Darkmon, idiot."

46's eyes widened. His voice was calm, yet jovial. Why wasn't there a pair of claws sinking through his body and lighting him like a torch? Was Lord Dark…sparing him?

He looked up into the eyes of his lord. They projected that fearful aura all Darkmon come to know and dread, yet it seemed to have lessened with the lord's mood.

"I'll admit, your willingness to sacrifice your insignificant life was mildly moving. I've had Darkmon cast the blame over their allies. While I truly appreciate the evil intentions, I find it unnecessarily pointless to slaughter perfectly good minions. Your bold request, even at the expense of your life, keeps my army strong. You are right…" He poked him in the forehead. "You're weak and pointless. Killing you right now wouldn't impact anything."

46's face stuck itself into an emotionless stare as he took in the lord's words. Even so, he was greatly surprised that he was being spared. So, why was he being spared if he benefitted to nothing?

"That being said, I'm not killing you because I do enjoy a bit of action every occasionally." Dark sighed 'sadly'. "To think, having this much power and I can't even properly use it at its full potential, all because anyone that opposes me is far weaker in comparison. Such a miserable life I lead!" he shouted dramatically.

46 looked at his teammates with a confused expression. Their response was an equally confused shrug.

The Dark Treecko felt an arm wrap around him. "I'll cut you a deal, 46. I'll let this slide, under the condition that you and your ragtag team of misfits undergo the necessary punishment I'll have to give you."

1892 frowned. "Wasn't…beating us senseless…enough punishment?"

"No, that was just a bonus for me." He smirked. "Your answer?"

46 looked at his team for a moment, then sighed. Death or suffering? Death was probably the least painful option, but now…they had something to lose and death was the thing that would strip them of their end goal. They had to deal with this kind of suffering from other Darkmon. They'll just have to deal with it a little longer. They'll get their reward in due time.

"Just hit us with as much pain as you can deliver," 46 muttered. The others silently nodded, seeing no point to arguing.

Dark grinned. "I like your enthusiasm." His hand sparked with electricity. "Now everyone…try and scream as loud as you can." He held his arm out and blasted them with tons of electricity.

Their screams slashed through the air like claws dragging against a chalkboard, purposely moving as slow as possible in order to execute the right amount of pain to administer. The screams were music to Dark's ears, as his grin curled up wickedly.

After zapping them for two minutes straight, he ended the punishment. Out of all of them, 30-30 got the worst of it as she collapsed onto her stomach, falling unconscious. Her body was scorched and smoky, smelling of burnt flesh.

4445 covered his nose in disgust. "Yeesh…poor gal."

Dark chuckled, then turned his back to them. "Leave my sight and carry on with your day. Oh, and a bit of advice. Next time you plan to assassinate me, try doing it during the day. You could grab me and, if possible, drag me up over the forest and expose me to the sunlight."

As 4445 picked up the unconscious Dark Ledian, 2750 narrowed his eyes. "Why are you telling us that?" the Dark Houndoom asked suspiciously.

He grinned evilly. "Because it'll make you five look less pathetic, clearly. Now get lost." The team glared at each other briefly, then at Dark, before leaving outside the throne area, never turning back. Dark snickered. "Oh, how I enjoy misery."

"…what was that?"

Dark glanced back at the shaded Darkmon standing next to his throne. "What was what?"

"They tried to kill you. They planned to assassinate you. They could have had this all planned out for months and you wouldn't have known."

Dark rubbed his chin. "Well, when you put it like that…it's even MORE pitiful!" He slapped his knee and hollered in laughter. "Months of preparation and it goes south that quickly?! HAHAHAHA! What a riot!"

The Darkmon growled under his breath. "My lord…those traitors deserve punishment."

"I gave them all a good zapping." He flexed his claws as a stream of electricity surged up them. "They'll be feeling that for weeks."

"I mean a more severe punishment. A punishment for the highest offense. Sir, those five deserve death for what they tried to pull off."

Dark smirked. "They got what they deserved. They're lesser lifeforms under my might. Even in their dreams, I'm still stronger than them. Their assassination would have failed, whether they planned for every contingency or not."

The shrouded Darkmon sneered. "These aren't healthy leadership skills you're implementing, sir. Sooner or later, the Darkmon will act out of line and revolt against you, knowing full well that you wouldn't kill them all because of your inflated ego."

Dark shrugged impishly. "What can you do? Let them raise their claws and overpower me as a massive army. I'll still come out on top and force those rebels to resume their duties. I don't need the threat of death to implement the threat of suffering." He licked his lips devilishly while raising his claws up to his face in an intimidating manner. "Only the cold steely promise of eternal suffering. They know this. I know this. So, what's the point in putting in the extra mile when I already have them wrapped around my claw?"

The Darkmon stepped forward. "The point? How about you letting loose five Darkmon who are throwing away our ideology and going on some mad quest to dethrone you? If those five are allowed to roam freely, they'll slowly influence the rest of the population until they've turned against you. Why let them live when they're nothing more than a detriment to your plans?"

Dark folded his arms behind his back. "Quite simple. The more Darkmon I have, the more power I hold over this planet. I need as many Darkmon as I can get to turn this world into their nightmare, our paradise." He floated into the air. "If they did get a sizable army to rebel, it'll only end in defeat. I need the numbers to project fear and intimidation against the humans and Pokémon, but I don't need them to win. Their job is to wither down their forces and ultimately defeat them with me doing the least work possible."

"So…quantity over quality?" The Darkmon narrowed his eyes. "My lord…that doesn't sound like an effective strategy. We can't have the weakest of our species in our forces, especially when they go against our way of life. They're a plague that'll corrupt the rest of us if someone doesn't put them in check."

Dark poked him in the forehead with a lazy smirk. "Maybe that would be a problem if I wasn't the strongest creature on this planet. So, quit worrying about the small stuff and just think about the whole picture. We are the superior species."

"…yes sir…"

"That's the spirit." He stepped back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some rest. Make sure all the Darkmon have their assignments taken care of."

The Darkmon saluted. "Yes, my lord." Dark teleported out of sight, leading the Darkmon to growl. "My lord, I swear you can be a pain in the…" He took a deep breath and sighed. "This is what my life has been reduced to, hasn't it? The second in command to an untrained, power mad ruler?" He rubbed his forehead. "Why…just why?"

He walked out of the throne area with a scowling expression. "If things were ran my way, I'd have a tighter hold over those idiots." He shook his head. "Nothing more than dreams. Lord Dark is the mastermind, not me."

"How much are you willing to give up to realize your goal?"

The Darkmon stopped and looked around in surprise. Something was nearby, but he couldn't sense it. Whatever it is was masking its presence, otherwise his finely tuned senses would be able to pick out the intruder. He did know, however, that he wasn't being spied on by a fellow Darkmon.

"Who's there?!" the Darkmon demanded with a growl.

"A messenger sent by…a friend," the voice replied.

The Darkmon growled. "Identify yourself in the name of Lord Dark! Comply and your death will be swift and painless!"

The voice chuckled. "Funny, coming from you. A creature designed to mutilate its victims would have a nasty habit going straight to the killing blow. Guess that's what your counterpart believed…well, before YOU murdered him."

The Darkmon narrowed his eyes. "How do you know about that?"

"Really look back into your counterpart's memories. Do you think WE wouldn't have noticed?"

The shadowy creature thought back for a moment, then sneered as he recalled memories of…lethal injections and painful experimentation, all done on his counterpart. His sad, wimpy excuse of a counterpart. "What is this about?"

"I'll cut to the chase. My boss, Wrath, sent your counterpart here to do some testing for these ground. We're quite interest in your kind's…genetic make-up."

The Darkmon whipped his head around as a figure jumped out of the trees. He was lanky looking and quite tall, just over his own height, with some weird bubbly looking scarf on the back of his neck. "You may not be aware of this, but my boss had a hand in creating you and your species. One scientist helped program your goals, the other helped design the seed, the third helped developed the structure of your forms…my boss injected everything else. He's quite the master of genetics. You remember who gave you those nifty pincers of yours?"

The Darkmon hid his pincers, then glared suspiciously. "Can you get to the point?"

"Look, my boss has big plans for the future, but he needs the Darkmon in order to achieve it. When we realized there would be a version of our old pal running around here…we realized we had an ally on the inside. Two, in fact."

"Two?"

"A Dark Riolu, by any chance?"

The Darkmon's eyes narrowed. "Oh… _him._ "

The figure smirked. "I see you're just as surprised by his good nature, maybe more than us. Guess his counterpart was so evil that he had an adverse effect on his outcome. Or maybe he was just an oddity. Who's to say, really?"

"I've already had enough dealing with good hearted Darkmon for one day. So, can you just tell what this has to do with me?"

"It's simple…you'll be our informant and help move things along for the sake of your goals and my boss's goals. All we ask is that you help us…destroy the Darkmon."

The Darkmon's eyes widened. "Destroy the…are you insane?! How am I supposed to rule the Darkmon if they're dead?!"

The figure placed a hand of his shoulder. "Oh trust me, it will happen. You just need to trust Wrath. I assure you, the man is a genius. He'll get you whatever you want as long as you prove your loyalty."

The Darkmon narrowed his eyes curiously, rather tempted by the offer. It sounded too good to be true, but something about the way this guy was speaking rather appealing to his corrupted mind. "Okay…if I wanted to, how do I prove myself?"

"Realize your potential." The figure smirked as he handed him an earpiece communicator. "We need you to plant a seed of distrust into the Forest of No Light. Make it so Lord Dark sees that things aren't in his control any longer, without revealing the true evil lying underneath.

"In other words, why not use those pincers of yours to show anyone that has crossed you that, no matter what they do, they'll never escape their fates."

The Darkmon glanced at his pincers in awe, snipping them as he applied energy to them, slightly expanding in size. After a moment of consideration, he smirked. "I know just the victims."

* * *

With the five Darkmon fallen and beaten, they retreated to their secluded meeting place to discuss matters. It became a regular hangout for them. Not exactly private, but they had their ways of forcibly making it quiet.

4445 kneeled down and fed 30-30 a berry to get her strength back up. "Can you get up?"

The Dark Ledian groaned. "Barely…" She pressed her hands against the ground and struggled to lift herself. It took her half a minute to fully rise into a seating position. She sighed in exhaustion. "Man, I'm beat…"

"Oh, like you're the only one?" 2750 commented in annoyance, resting on a rock with a flat face on the top. "What was to be expected? Lord Dark kicked our butts without even trying."

"Chill, man," 1892 advised as he hung upside down from a tree. "We gave it…our best shot. Let's appreciate that…we tried…"

The Dark Houndoom rolled his eyes. "You're taking this irritatingly well."

"I'm not…the one whining."

He shot up onto his feet, teeth bare. "I'm not whining!"

30-30 rolled her eyes. "Idiots…" She looked over at 46, who was sitting away from them with his back turned. "Hey, you going to sit there all day and listen to us bicker or are you actually going to speak?"

46 stayed quiet for most of the hour, still a little disheartened about their defeat. It should have been obvious that they weren't going to win, but he wanted to believe that there was something he could have done to turn the tides in their favor. Perhaps a strategy that could have caught Lord Dark off guard. They would have been able to get the drop on him and gained the upper hand, maybe even inflict severe damage to him.

Instead, not only were they beaten badly, he ended up giving _them_ advice the next time they tried an attack. Next time…as in he was expecting them to retaliate. He didn't take this as a threat on his life. This was a game between him and the rebellious Darkmon, and he was the only one having fun.

The Dark Treecko shrugged off the dark ladybug's complaint and continued to stare at the ground. 30-30 groaned. "Ugh! You're such a wimp!"

4445 punched her in the arm. "Cool it. He's not in the mood."

"Hey, I'm not the one who botched everything up with my 'grand plan to defeat Lord Dark and throne him'!"

1892 snickered. "Good thing, too…otherwise we would have been…definitely destroyed."

The Dark Ledian glared at him furiously. "Is that supposed to mean something, sloth?!"

2750 growled in annoyance. "Will all of you just SHUT up? Some of us want to spend the next few hours resting." He curled up on the rock he was on and closed his eyes. "I wish not to be disturbed."

30-30 grinned. "Ah yes, wouldn't want to upset the beauty queen from his precious rest."

The Dark Houndoom shot a one-eyed glare at her. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that…"

4445 stood up and walked over to 46. He crouched down and gave him a pat on the back. "Hey, you gave it a good try. Yes, your plan did lead to absolutely no desirable results and was too poorly orchestrated to be correctly executed, especially with our team of idiots-"

"HEY!" the three other Darkmon shouted angrily.

"-but the best part about being a Darkmon is that we can never be put down. We are creatures of terror. We are the menaces of the night. We are the incarnations of evil. You know what we are? Unstoppable."

46 didn't look him in the eye.

4445 sighed. "Look at you…one of the first hundred Darkmon and you're already admitting defeat. I thought the first hundred were supposed to represent everything vile and determined about our species. All I see is a pathetic husk roaming around with no path. Just mindlessly wandering from place to place."

46 wrapped his arms around his legs. "…you hit the nail on the head."

"Oh thank darkness, he can speak!" 30-30 exclaimed sarcastically.

The Dark Treecko shook his head, ignoring her. "I wanted to show Lord Dark that the Darkmon shouldn't hide down here. We shouldn't be forced to be restricted to this bit of land. Sooner or later, our population will increase pass the forest's limits."

"And that's why…the Darkmon's mission is to expand…and conquer," 1892 reminded.

The Dark Treecko sighed. "All this senseless fighting will only make are situation worse. Everyone associated with the light, human and Pokémon, despise us. The worse part about all of this is that they're right. We're living evil with a menacing aura surrounding us. We are chaos that they try to push down…but that doesn't mean we have to accept that fate."

2750 groaned. "Look 46, I may have agreed to this crazy plan of yours, but our fates are pretty much locked into a destined future. We may be the only ones rebelling against Lord Dark, but WE'RE the ones senselessly fighting. No matter how hard we try, the results will always end up the same. Lord Dark wins, we lose and still serve him. We either accept our evil nature or face the consequences. Frankly, electro punishment isn't on my list of activities to endure."

"So, what we're doing is pointless?" 46 mumbled sadly.

"What I'm saying is that you have to move pass this stupid mission of yours. Yes, I'm getting sick and tired of Lord Dark's cold tyranny, but staging an attack on him is by far the stupidest thing we've attempted."

30-30 shrugged. "He's right…for once. We are creatures born from evil. There's no place for us on this world. Humans hate evil, therefore they hate us. Good and evil can never coexist. Our philosophy is to oppose all that is good and show this pathetic planet that no matter how pure their light is, the humans and Pokémon will always harbor a shadow hiding their deepest, darkest desires."

"In the end…changing fate is impossible," 2750 finished, rolling onto his back. "I'll keep going along with your dumb plans, but nothing's going to change the failures that'll follow."

46 hugged his legs, sighing. "Should have figured…"

1892 waved his glum behavior off with a bored expression. "Ease up…man. Life's a pain anyway…why would you want to…go into that world yourself?"

He looked down at the ground. "I just want to be with her…"

"Her?" 4445 asked suspiciously.

30-30 tapped her chin, her eyes widened slightly, then she groaned with her eyes narrowed. "Ugh…let me guess, that Azumarill you've been hanging out with?" After getting a meek nod, she shook her head. "Yeesh, you two have been hanging around each other ever since she found her way here six months back." She smirked a bit. "Me thinks you have a lover outside our species."

He blushed in response, but didn't react. "I mean…we have…kissed a couple times, but…" He held his hand over his heart. "I can't feel much from it. Plus, it hurts my heart a lot. It feels like knives are stabbing into my heart, forcing me to suppress my attraction to her." He shook his head. "She at least understands my position on our relationship."

She grinned teasingly. "Anything else you two have been doing in secret? Are you mates or something?"

He sighed in annoyance. "You know as well as I do that Pokémon and Darkmon cannot become true mates. We're incompatible due to our corrupted DNA."

She laughed. "Well, at least you'll never have to worry about the 'wondrous' adventure of having children. Those little buggers can be pretty annoying. It amazes me how any Pokémon can put up with handling those little brats. My counterpart had children of her own and yet I still can't figure out why she hasn't snapped yet."

46 sighed. "I'd argue with you…but I wouldn't be able to understand what it feels like. I can't understand anything about my emotions."

"None of us can," 4445 said. "It's the curse we must bear, being Lord Dark's minions."

46 narrowed his eyes. "Why must we serve under him? Why were we born to be like this?"

30-30 shrugged. "Hey man, don't get all philosophical on us. It's just the way of nature."

"Nature didn't create us. We're unnatural to this world." He held his face. "Ugh, I wish I could leave so I can…feel something other than anger or spite!"

2750, realizing he won't be getting any sleep anytime soon, gave up and rolled over on his side to face him. "Quit acting like a baby. What's so good about being positive? We all know those emotions cloud judgment."

"So being hostile all the time is better?" 46 sighed. "…Azu told me that having emotions is one of the best things any creature could have. They allow us to…explore our better selves. I want to be more than just a Darkmon. I want to be something different."

30-30 shook her head. "You need to let that stuff go. It's a pointless dream."

"…if it's so pointless, why are you willing to help?"

She looked away, frowning. "Well…I'm just getting tired of not having much space to fly."

46 rolled his eyes. "Fine, don't tell me…"

She groaned. "Not all of us are as adamant as you. You roped us into this mess."

"And you agreed, anyway."

1892 scratched his head. "Lord Dark is incredibly…powerful, but he is…different from the rest…of us."

"He really hates the idea of being good," 4445 added.

46 hugged his legs. "…I just want to be different from the rest of the Darkmon. We have our quirks, but…we're all just bloodthirsty killers."

30-30 smirked. "Heh…at least you gave love a chance."

46 smiled. "…true…"

2750 scratched his ear with his back foot. "Where is that annoying rat, anyway? I think I remember you saying she visits you every other day."

"I think she's just staying in her tree today."

"Well, not today!"

They five Darkmon jumped and turned around. Out of the bushes came an Azumarill. She had a lighthearted cynicism to her expression, giving the impression she seemed kind, but will lay a verbal smack down when needed.

She grinned. "Hey 46~!" she greeted flirtatiously.

46 was utterly mortified by her presence. "Azy?!"

30-30 snickered. "Azy?"

He glared at her sharply. "Shut up!" He turned back to Azumarill and ran over to her. He grabbed her hands, asking, "What are you doing here?! HOW did you get here?! I told you not to stray off the path to my tree!" He checked her over. "Please don't tell me a Darkmon found you!" He then scratched his head, questioning his statement. "Wait, if that happened, you wouldn't be here…"

Azumarill rolled her eyes, then punched his arm. "Calm down, worrywart. I stayed out of sight just like you taught me."

"You can never be too sure." He looked around cautiously. "Lord Dark has eyes and ears everywhere."

"I've been fine for six months. I can handle myself out here." She looked at the four other Darkmon that were exchanging glares and perplexed stares. She glanced at 46 with a deadpan expression. "Friends of yours?"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Err…Azy, these are my allies. 1892, 2750, 30-30, and 4445."

"Yeesh, how do you guys remember each other's…names?" she asked.

2750 rolled his eyes. "We wouldn't expect a Pokémon to understand."

30-30 shrugged with a lax grin. "It's just natural, sweetheart."

She blinked, then glanced at 46 once more. "Lovely group…"

He rolled his eyes. "Like you weren't any different when we met." He sighed. "What are you doing out here, anyway? I thought you were staying at your burrow for the day."

"I was…now I'm not." She shrugged. "I was wondering if you'd like to spend time with me…on the surface."

His eyes widened in surprise, then he turned his head away. "Azy, I told you the surface world is not for me."

She smirked. "Sweetie, it's not like I'm asking you to introduce yourself to the entire Pokémon population around here. I'm asking you to spend the day…well, night with me out of this dreary forest."

He sighed heavily. "Even if I wanted to, I can't right now. The sun's going to rise soon and I don't want to run the risk of burning up. I have Full Regeneration, but burning to death is still painful."

She groaned. "Ugh, that again…" She shrugged. "Fine, I'll just hang out with you and your friends."

"We're not friends…" 1892 muttered. "We just work…with each other…"

Azumarill gave 46 a disapproving glare. "Really?"

The Dark Treecko crossed his arms. "I told you before, Darkmon aren't born nice. We're vicious killing machines who care not for the lives of others, not even our own kind. We serve to work together out of preservation for our species and the extinction of all Pokémon."

She deadpanned and crossed her arms. "So, what does that make me?"

He groaned and pinched between his eyes. "That's not what I…ugh, you're so annoying."

30-30 floated to his side and nudged his side. "Oh yeah, she's a keeper," she teased. 46 glared at her before punching her away. She rubbed her cheek, smirking. "I think that sums up what he's trying to say, lower lifeform," she addressed to Azumarill.

She raised a brow. "So, why aren't any of you attacking me?"

4445 chuckled. "For someone who knows of our species, you're remarkably calm in the face of danger."

"Because I sense no danger from you five."

He sighed, then crossed his arms. "If you must know, we're more interested in overthrowing Lord Dark and ending our curse against the sun. We wish to be free. We wish to be ourselves. Slaughtering you would be a waste of precious time to reconsider a new strategy against Lord Dark."

Azumarill shrugged. "What's stopping you from leaving?"

"His hold over us," 2750 spoke up. He stood up and stretched himself out. "Girly, our species is all about control and discipline. Step out of line and Lord Dark brings down punishment. If we leave this forest, he can track us down from any distance, so long as we're bounded to the forest. If our bodies our destroyed…we just end up back here."

Azumarill held her hips and raised a brow. "Sounds like quite the leash."

"Eh, it's not…so bad down here," 1892 admitted with an honest shrug. "We got food, shelter…food, company…food…"

"You said food three times."

The Dark Slakoth rolled his eyes. "Never said it was…paradise down here."

Azumarill sighed, then glared at her boyfriend. "Oh, get real for a moment, 46. This place is horrible. You're not happy down here."

46 narrowed his eyes. "No, I'm not happy. I'm also not sad, or compassionate or emotional or…anything more than just anger and spite." He gestured at himself. "Azy, look at me. I'm a monster. My master is a monster. We're all monsters down here."

Azumarill lowered her eyelids caringly. "That doesn't matter to me. I don't see a monster. I just see you." She leaned in and placed her lips upon his, surprising the other four Darkmon.

46's expression contorted in pain. His heart clenched up, hurting him from the affection. He pushed her back. "I can't feel anything, Azy." He clenched her shoulders. "I can't even feel love. I can't feel this…spark you talk about. I only feel pain."

Azumarill frowned. "Whether you can't feel it or not, I know you're unhappy down here. You can't let that monster rule over you."

"We have no choice. Lord Dark is our master. So long as we remained bound to the forest, our fates are locked down."

4445 crossed his arms. "The very thing we're fighting against. We want the freedom to choose our own path. Whether it be the path of darkness we were born to follow…" He glanced at 46. "…or the path of light, the path we're forbidden from taking."

46 looked down, but Azumarill tipped his head back up. "Oh, come on. Have a little more faith. Sooner or later, I know you guys will find the freedom you're fighting for."

"Hopeless dream, girly," 30-30 interjecting, kicking her feet in the air.

Azumarill held her hips and scoffed. "Not the way I see it. You five just lack the motivation to live."

2750 rolled his eyes. "What's the point in being motivated to live? We can't die in this forest. We remain loyal to Lord Dark…" He turned on his side. "And we keep our Full Regeneration to be reborn."

Azumarill frowned. "You guys really have no motive other than to overthrow your ruler?" They nodded. She looked at her boyfriend. "46, come on! I know you want to be free! So you can be with me!"

46 looked away. An acidic tear brimmed at his eye. "Even if I escaped this forest, I'll never be free. I just won't. The sun will still chase after me. It'll chase me…until I perish." He gripped his arm. "Azy, I want to be with you. Some suppressed part of my mind is trying to tell me that you're…more to me than I believe. But…I'm forever a prisoner to this world."

"Now, isn't that a depressing way of looking at things?"

The groups' heads shot up in alertness. They looked around vigilantly for the seventh voice. No other Darkmon other than them knew about Azumarill's existence. If this information got around to Lord Dark…

1892 sat himself up and raised his arms slowly. "Who's…there?"

A malevolent chuckle responded. It should be nothing unusual, but this laugh actually sent shivers up the Darkmon's spines. It reeked of evil intention. "My fellow Darkmon, you've caused quite a stir today. But I'm afraid…I have some loose ends to tie up."

The Darkmon stepped out of the shadows with his sinister smirk stretching. Azumarill couldn't make him out in the darkness even with adapting to the lack of light, not that seeing him would make much difference. However, she could tell the other five were tense in the presence of this vicious force. She could feel 46's hand wrap around hers and clutch it protectively as he growled.

"Darkmon 6-6-6."

The Darkmon chuckled and took a closer step, revealing himself to be a Dark Gliscor. "Oh, you five have such a flair for the dramatics. Why so tense? I've only come to check up on you." He bowed. "Let's not get too casual, though. I come here on important matters."

Azumarill squinted and could barely make out his features. She could at least match his species. She glared. "46, who the heck is this fanged creep?"

The Dark Glisor smirked. "Fanged creep, eh?"

46 glared. "He works closely with Lord Dark. Very closely."

The sinister Darkmon snickered behind his pincer. "I simply provide advice to his highness, nothing more. I'm not all important." He sighed sadly. "However, it seems I am taken for granted, He waves off my helpful advice without considering the benefits. Darn shame. I could help this poor forest rise in power. However…" His eyes flashed evilly, their red glow bathing the Darkmon. "Weak little insects like you interfere with my vision."

4445 stepped forward and glared suspiciously at the Darkmon. "What vision?"

The Dark Gliscor chuckled. "I would have never dreamed of overthrowing Lord Dark. I remain loyal to my master out of necessity. I consider you five to be fools for such a sloppy approach." He smirked behind his pincer. "But, I've gained insight into myself and realized…perhaps there's a bit more to this than I considered."

"How…so?" 1892 asked.

"Lord Dark is remarkably powerful, but lacks the judgment to be an effective leader." He clenched his teeth. "Oh, how he ticks me off. Why must I listen to such an arrogant bastard whose only interest is to laze around like a Slakoth."

"I take…offense to that…" 1892 droned, eyes shifting into a glare.

The Dark Gliscor snickered, then threw his arms up. "My master, oh my master, how foolish you are. You may have power, but you lack the mind of a brilliant leader. The Darkmon can't flourish under such a lackadaisical rule. Our forces will never grow stronger. The weak will continue to be weak. The strong will grow weak from our master's influence." He tilted his head, grinned unsettlingly. "A correction is in order."

30-30 glared at the creepy Darkmon. She could tell the others were getting uncomfortable around this shady rat. She crossed her arms. "Define correction."

The Darkmon shook his head and laughed with an air of calmness. "How could I not consider it? Oh, that's right, because I fear that lazy Darkmon. Well, I did fear him, but not anymore. And to think, all I needed was a slap of reality…and a little motivation." He grinned at the group of Darkmon. "Isn't that what you've been lacking? Motivation?" He laughed. "Oh, you poor, naïve weaklings…"

2750 stepped forward and growled through his teeth. "What brought this on? I don't remember you acting so…ominous, and that's saying a lot."

The Dark Gliscor shrugged. "Many things could have brought this change in attitude, but I'll settle for my answer." He glared. "You five…have made a mockery of the Darkmon. Defying your species is inexcusable, but this? You wish to abandon your evil nature? You wish to commit sin by…fraternizing with our mortal enemy?" he questioned, glaring daggers at Azumarill. She stepped back. "I've had it up to here with the Darkmon name being sullied by an overconfident Pokémon who dares challenge us, a lazy Lord of Fear who shows little regard to the advancement of his people through his inflated ego, and a group of wannabe traitors who wish to abandon their true nature."

46 glared, then took a bold step forward. "Yeah? What're you going to do about it?" His allies nodded, flashing evil smirks. "It's five on one. We can take you. All that talk about power, yet you're one of the weakest here."

For a moment, the group actually felt stronger than before. Here they were, standing tall against this arrogant rat who dares try to step over them like they are his prey. Well, not anymore. They were the predator, he was the prey. They'll tear his body to shreds a thousand times over until he begs for mercy, then they'll tear him down again for laughs.

They were the stronger Darkmon.

…or so they fought.

Their striking confidence came crumbling down as the Dark Gliscor laughed it off with the utmost arrogance and amusement. His laugh could freeze the air with its chilling tone, exemplifying his total confidence in the situation. Even the uneven odds, he still felt like he was in control.

No…he was in control.

The dreadful Darkmon snipped his pincers as the darkness seemed to wrap around him like thin silk. The shade left him a shadow with piercing red eyes and a wicked grin shining through. The Darkmon took a cautious step back as the monster's threatening laugh chorused through their ears.

"Oh, you poor, poor saps…who ever said you were in control?"

The five Darkmon watched as he reached a pincer behind his back and grabbed something that seemingly hung there for some time. He held the items inside his pincer.

With a smirk, he asked, "Tell me, _children,_ what makes you think you're in control? Answer…you're not. You never were in control. Then, now, or ever. You're nothing more than puppets for Lord Dark to command. You follow his orders without question or face his wrath. However, like any broken puppet, they must be disposed of." His eyes flashed. "And that's exactly what I plan to do to you."

Shivers went through the Darkmon, but they couldn't register the fear building inside them. They fought back with their own arrogance, with 30-30 laughing his threats off. "H-Hahaha…oh no, what do you p-plan to do? Kill us? Even if you could destroy us, we'll just complete a Full Regeneration and-" She stopped talking when the malevolent Darkmon dropped the held items.

Teal orbs glowing in the dark. Five of them.

Their DNA. Their life forces. Their connection to the forest.

Their eyes widened in shock, then faced the Dark Gliscor with newfound horror. He smirked evilly. "Oh yeah…I went there."

"You didn't…" 46 breathed, clutching his chest with the beginning stages of a panic.

"46," Azumarill spoke, concerned and stumped by his sudden change in behavior. "What's going on?"

The Dark Gliscor raised his pincers and snipped them. "You wanted to be released from your imprisonment? I can oblige to that request. But don't get too comfortable…" He licked his fangs and laughed.

"Because your fates are sealed."

With a flicked of his wrists, he swung across the ground and slashed the DNA orbs. They were there one moment, then gone the next, like they were never there. The Darkmon could have easily brushed this off as him playing mind games, but his threats remained true.

Their eyes widened as they felt a great wave of pain bombard their minds. A rush of strange feelings filled their beings, undergoing unusual swings in mood. A wider variety of emotion was thrown into them. Through the pain, they could feel something true to form. Something more than just evil and anger. The dam that suppressed their minds burst open and brought forth new discoveries.

A great weight was thrown off their shoulders.

46 was the first to recover from the mental assault. He looked at his shaky hands. He didn't understand what to feel. Normally, he remained neutral and stoic, but now so much was running through his mind that he couldn't properly process it.

"What…happened to us?" 46 murmured.

He looked up at the laughing Dark Gliscor. "Don't you get it? I've severed your connection to the forest. You're no longer a part of it. You no longer take orders from Lord Dark." He tilted his head and smirked disturbingly, with only a laugh that matched his unsettling behavior. "I freed you from your curse."

1892 held his head, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "W…Why?"

"Why?" He laughed some more. "Why, why, why? Because you no longer have the right to call yourselves Darkmon. Oh, I can't have weaklings like you running around and thinking you can do whatever you want." He shook his head, still laughing. "Your purpose was to serve. No longer is that your prime directive. Now…Now I just see wasted potential."

4445 stood up and raised his pincers, growling through his teeth. "You think you can scare us? Intimidate us?" He punched his pincers together. "It's five against one. Go back to whatever hellhole you crawled from. We're stronger than you."

The Dark Gliscor smirked. "…is that so?" He raised his own pincers. "How confident are you in that claim?"

1892 groaned, then stepped in front of his allies to face them. "This is…ridiculous. He's some…weakly who thinks he's _all_ that." He crossed his arms. "I say…we just beat him up and carry on with our day. We're…free now. Nothing…matters anymore. We can do whatever…we want." His allies smiled and nodded. 1892 turned and faced the Dark Gliscor. "You hear…that? You've got nothing on-"

 _SNAP!_

The Darkmon's eyes widened in horror as a purple slash of energy wrapped around the Dark Slakoth and snapped down on him. They stumbled back, eyes dilated in fear as the Dark Gliscor stood over where the Dark Slakoth last stood. He raised his pincers. His…menacing, unnatural pincers.

One moment, they were normal. Now…Now they were larger. Large enough to close around a body. They glowed an eerie purple glow, a light one would see from the darkest recesses of a nightmare realm. They move so fast. There was no mess or blood splatter. 1892 disappeared without even realizing it.

The Darkmon and Azumarill clenched their teeth fearfully as the Dark Gliscor laughed. "Didn't I tell you? You have no say over your fates. Only I decided when you live or die. You can kick, scream, or shout all you want. Whine, punch, or complain if you so wish to. I only saw imperfection…and had to correct it."

46's teeth chattered nervously. "W-What did you…do to 1892?"

The Dark Gliscor smirked. "The same thing I'll do to you: erase you." He laughed evilly, taking a step forward. The Darkmon backed away with fear running through their eyes. "What's the matter? Where's all that bravado you were boasting a moment ago? I thought you said I was the weakest Darkmon present."

"W-What the hell are you?!" 30-30 screamed, trying her best to sound intimidating.

"What am I? Hmm…" He looked to the side, then smirked wider. "Oh, something truly terrifying…" He licked his fangs hungrily. "These pincers will drive their fangs into the souls of all who oppose me. All who oppose the Darkmon…all who resist the Darkmon…all who betray the Darkmon." He laughed with sinister glee. "These pincers will devour all, chewing through your flesh with their magnificent, deadly fangs and sacrificing you for the purpose of power.

"The fates of all Darkmon are decided by me: the Grim Reaper of the Darkmon!" He threw his head back and let loose a raging cackle that permeated the forest. That deathly ring drove daggers into the Darkmon. Their newfound fear skyrocketed to terrifying heights.

46, with his body petrified in horror, could only utter a single word. "…run."

The Darkmon turned tailed and raced away from the cackling, mad Darkmon. 46 grabbed Azumarill's hand and dragged her out of the area,

The Dark Gliscor stopped laughing and smirked at the fleeing traitors. "Like any good reaper…you can't escape your fate." His wings extended out and blazed with purple energy. He kicked off the ground and took off flying at high speed, with an irritating, sharp whistling following the sound of his vibrating wings. He darted through the trees with precise movements, laughing with all the evil in his twisted mind.

Watching the scene unfurl from behind a tree was the mysterious messenger. He smirked to himself. "Mission accomplished." He walked forward, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers. A swirling blue portal opened, then closed behind him as he entered.

* * *

A screaming Darkmon was certainly out of place in such a horrid forest, but that's exactly how these four Darkmon felt as they bolted as far away as possible, pumping all their strength into their speed alone.

30-30, the usually cool and confident one, was hyperventilating in sheer panic as she flew over 2750. "What are we going to do? WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?!"

46 held his hand and quickly scoured through his brain for answers. "Um, um, um…the surface! All we need to do is hide out on the surface!"

"We'll die up there!" 2750 shouted.

"You want to take your chances with that psycho?!" 46 retorted angrily. "The surface is our best shot! Find shade and work our way from there! If we die, we can't come back!"

4445, as he ran close to the Dark Treecko, looked over his shoulder. He thought he imagined it, but it became clear they were being pursued by a sharp whistling sound, followed by the sickening laughter of the mad Darkmon. "Best we hurry then!" he suggested. "He's gaining on us!"

They pushed their legs as hard as they could, dashing through the forest at breakneck speeds. However, Azumarill was having trouble keeping up. She tried to match 46's insane speed, but she wasn't built to be fast like the Darkmon. 46 was practically dragging her through the air, which ended up slowing him down.

46 panted fearfully, then looked back at Azumarill as she desperately tried to keep up. "Azu, pick up the pace!"

"I'm…I'm trying!" she panted, feeling her heart pound wildly and her lungs begging to take a rest. "I can't keep up with you-WAH!" Without warning, 46 threw her onto his back and carried her. It didn't slow him down, so it didn't change anything. "Oh…thanks!"

"You can thank me when we get to safety!"

They dashed through a jumbled of trees, slipping through tight gasps with near perfect ease. Their minds and body were working overtime to escape the mad Darkmon. However, said Darkmon had other plans. Rather than go in for the kill first, he wanted to play with them.

The group could hear the whistling get louder the closer he got. The Dark Gliscor made sharp turns through the trees ahead of the group and devoured bases of the trees. The lack of support sent the trees toppling over. The group slid, jumped, and ducked their way through the trees as they collapsed overhead.

2750 sensed an incoming threat and spewed flames behind them, giving them some cover. "Hopefully that slows him down!"

"It won't!" 30-30 cried out, holding her terror-stricken face. "We're going to die! WE'RE GOING TO DIE!"

"Pull yourself together, woman!" the Dark Houndoom growled. "We're not going to die!"

"Speak for yourself, mutt." 2750's eyes widened, then gasped as a purple light streak flew past him. 2750 tripped over his feet and crashed headfirst into the ground. He looked at his hindlegs and gasped. They were slashed off, with blood seeping out the wounds to regenerate.

The Darkmon stopped and noticed their fallen comrade. "2750!" 46 cried out.

"NO!" the Dark Houndoom shouted. "Get out of here, you idiots! Don't let him catch you!" He faced up and expelled flames all around him, trying to ward off the demented killer.

Much to his utter horror, he jumped through the flames and landed right on top of him. He licked his fangs with sheer delight. "Mmm…for a weakling, I can sense great potential from you." He raised his enlarged claws. "Your biomass will prove useful." He swung with a mad frenzy, tearing apart the Dark Houndoom.

2750 howled in agony as the pincers dug into his skin and ripped him to the pieces. No blood splattered across the ground. The slashes were so precise and fast that no mess was allowed to happen. Flesh torn off, horns cut; everything was torn off.

The other Darkmon looked away in horror and continued running for their lives. Their comrade's screams echoed through the forest before going dead silent. Not a sound to be heard…until the whistling came back.

30-30 hugged herself in panic. "No…no, no, no, NO!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" 4445 ordered.

"NO!" 30-30 fired a barrage of Swift at the forest, exploding everything they could hit. She didn't care what it was or if it could breathe. It was dying along with the psychopath hunting them down, no matter what. "DIE, DIE, DIE! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"30-30!" 46 shouted angrily. "Calm down!"

"I CAN'T! I CAN'T CONTROL MY EMOTIONS!" she screamed.

They ran with a trail of destruction following behind, yet the whistling never died. It sent 30-30 into a mad panic as she desperately tried to destroy that horrible noise. A noise that induced living nightmares. She heard it only today, yet it was already haunting her vision. Her dreams that haven't happened yet. It was a sound of fear that drove her to the brink of insanity. She wanted it to die.

"30-30!" 4445 shouted, though he felt himself twitching from the sound, too. "I-I told you…to STOP!"

"DIE, DIE, DIE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, not letting up on her Swift attack. Fires, explosions, destroyed trees; everything was burning behind them.

Azumarill wrapped her arms around 46's neck. Her eyes were shaking with fright. "46…"

He patted her hand. "It's going to be okay, Azu! We just need to keep our heads on!"

30-30 endlessly blasted the forest with her Swift…then the noise stopped. She stopped firing and stared at the blaze of damage. No more whistling. It was gone. Her lips twitched up into a smile. "Y…Yeah…" She grinned widely, a grin of relief and lingering fright. "H-HA! You see?! I knew you were weak!"

4445 stared at her, flabbergasted. "Don't tell me that actually worked!"

30-30 flew with her back facing the ground, hands behind her head. "W-What can I say? It pays to go a little nuts, am I right?"

46 sighed. Despite seemingly destroying their pursuer, he wasn't slowing down. "We can't stop! We need to get out of here, now!"

The group continued down their path, seemingly welcomed by the silence of the forest. For a moment, how little it was, it eased their minds. They actually believed they got rid of him. Everything felt right for them.

The whistling came back. Stronger and louder.

30-30's nerves flared up as the sound bombarded her with its maddening screech. "No, NO! HOW?! I DESTROYED HIM! I KNOW I-!"

 _SNAP!_

The two Darkmon and Azumarill felt like their ears were playing tricks on them. That is, until something flew into their field of vision. Fear drove into their hearts harder as the severed head of 30-30 came into view, whose expression was contorted into stunned panic.

"I…don't want to…die…" she mumbled, before the purple flashed slammed down on her head and consumed her in one bite.

The Darkmon and Azumarill screamed off their lungs. The purple light streak immediately zigzagged for 46 and Azumarill, aiming for a two-for-one kill.

Instincts flying, 4445 threw a Bullet Punch and, much to everyone's surprise, precisely nailed the Dark Gliscor across the jaw. The impact sent the flying scorpion hurling into a tree and crashing face first.

"G-G-G-Great, he's d-d-d-down!" Azumarill shouted through her chattering teeth. "Let's get out of here!"

4445 glared at the psychotic Darkmon, then dug his feet into the ground and halted himself. 46 stopped and looked at the Dark Scizor like he gone mad. "4445, what are you doing?! We're nearing freedom!"

4445 raised his pincers, glaring at the fallen Darkmon as he slowly rose to his feet. "We won't make it under these conditions! At the rate he's going, we'll all be devoured!" He glared at the two. "46, get yourself an Azumarill out of here! Make haste!" He extended his wings out. "I'll deal with this bastard myself!"

Azumarill gripped onto 46 tightly, panting frantically. "46…"

46 looked between her and 4445, then growled at himself, clutching his head. He had no time to think. He had to run. "Do all you can to stall him!" 46 turned and bolted for the edge of the forest once more.

4445 nodded, then kicked off the ground at high speed towards the insane Darkmon. The Dark Gliscor picked himself up, then gasped as the Dark Scizor unleashed a flurry of Bullet Punches in the monster's face. Blood splattered from his mouth from a couple of the impacts.

4445 sweep kicked and slammed his punch into his gut, pressing him through the ground before unleashing a barrage of Bullet Punches. "Let's see how you like it!"

Dark Gliscor crossed his arms and blocked the hits, but the continuous punching sank him through the dirt. He couldn't reach out and snap his pincers down on the evil metal mantis. Instead, with a cunning smirk forming, he shook his tail before raising it up and jabbing it into the dark mantis' back.

4445 gasped out in pain before being thrown off and slammed into a tree. He pulled himself up, then barely dodged the incoming attack from the insane Darkmon. He slashed through the tree and knocked it over. He snapped his pincers, then flung them wildly to slash off any part of the dark mantis.

4445 kept jumping back, out of the pincers' reach. He jumped over one attack and flung his foot into his face, then aimed his own pincers and opened them. "Hyper Beam!" The dark energy built up in his pincers, then released a blank point, destructive beam that torched the ground. The blinding flash of the explosion covered the surrounding area, knocking over trees and destroying bushes through the shockwave.

Before having to face the recharge period, 4445 kicked off the ground and jumped back several meters for resting room. He panted and looked at his smoking pincers. He closed his eyes for only a moment, trying to push past the increasing fatigue.

"Oh, so close~!" 4445's eyes snapped open in horror as his right arm was slashed off his body in one strike. He whipped his head around and saw Dark Gliscor turn in the air and beeline for his head.

4445 raised his other pincer and threw multiple Bullet Punches. Dark Gliscor caught his pincer in his own and snapped down on it, breaking the hardened shell. He went for the head again, but the dark mantis leaped away with Quick Attack. His right arm and destroyed pincer regenerated back to full form. He punched them together, then used Quick Attack again to get in close.

He expected to out speed the Dark Gliscor's unnatural flight speed, but he couldn't. The flying scorpion zipped around him in zigzag maneuvers and slammed his feet down on the dark mantis' back. 4445 rolled to a stop and turned around, only to have his torso locked down by the enlarged pincer as its 'fangs' dug into his hard shell.

He looked into the eyes of the deranged Darkmon, who was laughing with absolute glee. "You all will be the first of many." He held his head and laughed louder, threatening to choke on air from laughing so hard. "I…I can't believe I didn't see it sooner! I was GIVEN this power and I haven't been using it to its full extent! I've just been…hiding it! I never realized how amazing these pincers were!" He smirked creepily at the Dark Scizor. "Oh, with this power, I can do anything! I'll be unstoppable!"

4445 glared angrily at the insane Darkmon. "You won't get away with this!"

Dark Gliscor laughed louder than ever. "That old line?! Get it through that thick skull of yours, idiot!" He clamped down harder, threatening to tear him in two. "You can't stop me! No one can! I'll keep eating up you weaklings and putting that wasted potential to good use! Your sacrifice…your death…all for the benefit of giving me power." His smirk stretched. "Doesn't that sound grand?"

"You're sick!"

"So, what?" He activated his other pincer, then tore into his chest. "What are you going to do about it?" His eyes glowed frighteningly red, much to 4445's horror. "I told you: I'm in control of your fates. You have no right to live. I say who lives…and who dies. Your fates are sealed."

His wicked laughter stretched across the forest as he merciless tore through the Dark Scizor, who screamed out in agony as the deadly pincers bit down on his skin and ripped him apart. His bloodcurdling screams as the acid within the pincers dissolved him bit by bit. The fear of death scarring his fleeting mind.

All he could hear…was this Darkmon's sadistic cackles.

* * *

46 forced the screams of his dying comrade out of his ears as he pushed his legs to their limits. Azumarill clung tightly to his neck as her heart pounded furiously inside her chest. 46 could feel the utter terror radiating off her. This was the first time she actually felt genuinely scared. The first time he's ever seen her scared. It was…heartbreaking to feel.

The Dark Treecko glared ahead and saw the tower of rock ahead. He gasped in triumph. "Yes, yes! Azy, we're here!"

He slid to a halt and looked up the tall cliff that reached over the trees. The only spot in the forest that revealed the sky to them. The magenta and orange colors in the sky told him the sun would be rising soon.

"Crap." He reached behind and pulled Azumarill off. "Azy, how are you feeling?"

Her legs were shaking with pure fear running through her body. "I…I…" She swallowed hard and grabbed the Dark Treecko's arms. "46, I don't want to stay here any longer! We have to leave!"

He held her cheek. "We will, don't worry! We'll be out, safe and sound!" He pointed up the cliff. "You go first, then I'll climb after-!" His heart suddenly stopped. His arm dropped to his side as his eyes shrank to the size of pinpricks.

"46?" Azumarill asked nervously.

"…I can't hear 4445's screams anymore."

The two faced the dark path of the forest. It was faint, really faint, but they could hear the infernal whistling gaining on them. They won't be able to make it up the cliff in time.

Azumarill staggered back, holding her heart with her eyes dilated. "No…NO! It can't end like this! We can't die! Not here!"

46 clenched his fist. What was he supposed to do? 1892. 2750. 30-30. Now, 4445. They did everything they could, now they were all dead. He and Azumarill were next and there was nothing they could do. They had no hope of reaching the top together.

…no hope of reaching the top _together._

46 faced his girlfriend in sudden realization, though the face he made reflected sadness. Azumarill was afraid to ask. "What?"

He placed his hands on her shoulders, then cleared his throat. Putting on a brave face, he directly stated, "Azy…you have to go on without me."

Azumarill's eyes widened in disbelief, stunned that her boyfriend would even suggest such a thing. She gets that the climb up would take too long, but…was he actually suggesting the worst?

She grabbed him by the arms and shook him. "Are you crazy?! You can't do that! If you stay down here with that…with that…FREAK, he'll…" Her lip quivered sadly. "He'll…" Her eyes watered. "…46…please tell me you're not serious…"

46 pulled her hands off and gently held them in his hands. He looked down at them sadly as well. "…I'm sorry, Azy…but there's no other way. If we stay down here, we'll both die. If I go up there alone…I don't think I'll live with the guilt of watching you…being killed…" He clenched his eyes shut. "At least this way, I can stall him for as long as possible. My regeneration will buy you time." He squeezed her hands. "I'm not losing you."

"But I'll be losing you!" Azumarill cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Don't be an idiot! We'll find a way up there together! We can make this work! We'll escape and…we can start our new lives together!" Her eyes shimmered miserably. "Isn't that what you wanted? For us to be together?"

46 looked into her eyes. The ground burned from the acidic tears dripping from his cheek. "Oh Azy…nothing in the world would make me happier than being with you forever." He wiped a tear from her eye. "I don't want to let go, but I don't want your life to end."

"But-" He quietly shushed her, pressing his finger against her lips.

"I wouldn't survive up there. Every day would be a whole new challenge for me. I never had a life to fall back on, but I'm not letting you give up on your life." He looked down and chuckled softly to himself. "You Pokémon…are such fragile creatures. You can only live for so long…don't let that gift die." He held his hand over his heart. "I've been around for four years, but I have nothing to gain yet. Nothing to look forward to." He frowned. "But I do have something to lose. It breaks my heart that we must part like this."

Azumarill teared up, letting the waterfall of tears flood down her face. "46…"

He smiled sadly, then held her face in his hands. "At least…let me cherish our last moment together properly." Much to Azumarill's surprise, he brought her into a kiss. She quickly melted into it and wrapped her arms around him.

…he could feel the spark she talked mentioned so frequently.

No longer restricted, he could feel the outpour of emotions flooding his being. The experience of true bliss coming over him. While nothing more than simple kiss, it was an all-new experience for the Darkmon. His first and last experience of true happiness.

Due to time, the kiss didn't last as long as they both wanted, but the passion lingered after. They stared into each other's eyes longingly. 46 forced himself to turn away with his fists clenched. "Now go," he stated firmly. "Run while you still can."

Azumarill hesitated, stumbling back stiffly. She bit her lip tightly, then turned on her heel and made a break for the rock wall. She leaped onto it and grabbed hold of the rocks jutting out. Her foot slipped a bit, but she got her hold together and started making her way up as quickly and safely as she could.

46 sighed shakily, the lingering bliss now sharing space with his racing heart filling with terror. Even so, he kept it bottled in as he glared ahead at the dark figure that stepped out the shadows. The Dark Gliscor licked his fangs gluttonously, wishing to feast on more pitiful Darkmon.

"Oh, how I wish I savored the thrill of the hunt." He narrowed his eyes. "Sadly, I must restrain myself. Can't get too greedy. Don't want Lord Dark getting suspicious, after all."

46 scowled at the twisted Darkmon, then stepped forward. "1892…2750…30-30…even 4445…you're worse than all of us."

The Dark Gliscor raised his brow, then shook his head with laughter. "Dear ignorant Darkmon…" His eyes flashed sinisterly. "I'm simply invoking what we're meant to be: pure evil. Killing machines designed to exterminate all life that dares to question our ways. Those who oppose us…will die."

46 shook his head and stepped forward. "I can't let you do that. I won't let you hurt Azu."

The Dark Gliscor smirked. "I'm afraid you're in no position to speak." He raised his pincers. "I'm in control of who dies in this forest now. I control the lives of all Darkmon…and the miserable scum on this planet. It is my choosing whether they live or die." He narrowed his eyes. "That…is how it shall be."

46 glared. "…I'm fighting fate." He spread his arms out. "I can't guarantee my own life, but you're not taking Azu's."

"One would say if you're willing to bet your life on that…" Fang powered up his pincers. "But what an unfitting quote for a force like me." He smirked darkly. "I shall grant you one final say before you are erased. What shall it be?"

The Dark Treecko inhaled deeply, closing his eyes for just a moment, then said, "…May Lord Dark bring about his destructive power on your shameful mutiny, Fangs of the Grim Reaper…"

The Dark Gliscor laughed quietly. "…a pitiful last wish." His wings blazed to life and he darted straight for 46. The Dark Treecko exhaled and, as a last stand, fired a storm of Bullet Seeds. The Dark Gliscor effortlessly charged through the explosive projectiles and threw his pincers right at him. 46's eyes widened as his vision enveloped in darkness. He closed his eyes, accepting his fate.

 _Goodbye, Azu._

 _SNAP!_

Azumarill's eyes widened. She was halfway up the rock wall when she heard the horrid sound. She stopped for a moment as tears streamed down her eyes. She clenched them shut, then whispered, "…Goodbye…46…" She quickly wiped her eyes, then continued her way up.

She gasped as the horrible whistling buzzed to life again. She climbed as fast as she could, giving little regard to the possibility of falling. A few close calls were avoided as rocks slipped out from her hurrying feet. She forced herself to ignore the sound, only focusing on reaching the top.

By a stroke of luck, she reached the top. She grabbed the edge and heaved herself over. Her body demanded immediate rest, but she wasn't out of the woods yet. After a couple breaths, she made the attempted escape back into the safe haven of her burrow…

…until a dark figure landed before her and knocked her on her rear.

She winced from the fall, then glared up at the figure before recoiling in horror. She backed away quickly as the Dark Gliscor inched forward. She ceased moving away as her hand slipped on the edge, sending small rubble down.

"Ah, ah, ah," Dark Gliscor warned. "Nowhere to run, little miss." He leaned his head back and took a deep breath. "Ah, can't you smell that fresh, crisp air? So nice, so wonderful…" He tilted his head with a creepy smile. "Enjoy it while you can."

Azumarill stood up and took a fighting stance. Tears ran down her face. "You…YOU MONSTER! I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU FOR TAKING HIM FROM ME!" Ignoring all rational thought, she charged right at him.

Unamused, Dark Gliscor swung his pincer and bashed her effortlessly across the cheek. She was absolutely stunned as she faltered back onto the ground. She touched her sore cheek and winced from the pain. She looked back up at him, this time in terror.

"You Pokémon are so predictable. You let your emotions fly and let them consume you." He scowled. "How sickening. Your so called _'love'_ for 46 is nothing more than a misguided attachment. You and your kind corrupt the very nature of Darkmon. You weaken us with your emotions and your light. All you do is destroy the darkness you wish to stay out of." He shook his head. "Lord Dark wants to rule this planet…

"…but I want to destroy it."

Azumarill quivered. She had nowhere left to run. "You…won't…win…"

Dark Gliscor crossed his arms. "You can't stop me. I'm _the_ most powerful Darkmon, with the potential to destroy all…including your so called Legendaries." He smirked. "All shall fall to me…for I decree that the fates of all are ended by me." He raised his pincer and activated it. "Your fate…is sealed."

Azumarill cried softly. There was nothing else she could do. She picked herself up and panted heavily. "I don't submit to you…"

Dark Gliscor sneered. "Oh, really?" He kicked off the ground and threw his pincers at her. "What do you plan to do?! Your precious hero is gone and I'm all that remains!"

Azumarill instinctively backed away, but her foot slip and she tipped over the edge. Her heart raced wildly as she leaned back. The pincers came in close, nearing their prey. Death by pincers or death by falling. There was no way out. Azumarill closed her eyes and waited for the worst to come.

Dark Gliscor smirked with absolute glee, but his fun died instantly as a hand landed on top of his head and, with disturbing strength, smashed him right through the ground. The forced delivered down on him was utterly absurd. The single move actually shattered the bone in his skull. A powerful shockwave emanated from the impact, crossing the ground.

The surprise attack happened so fast that the Darkmon couldn't begin to determine who or what happened. The moment the hand stopped pushing him down, the Darkmon rose up and roared all around, trying to meet glares with his surprise attacker.

But no one was there.

He growled in confusion. "What in the world…?" He looked over at the edge curiously, then peeked down to catch a glimpse at his prey, except she was no longer there either. His attacker and the Azumarill were both gone.

The Dark Gliscor snarled in anger. "Blasted…who did that?" He stretched his wings out. "I'll have to scour this entire field to find…" His eyes narrowed as he felt a slight burning on his pincers. He looked at them and saw them being burned by a light. He glared ahead and saw the rising force of terror that plagued his nightmares.

The sun.

He ceased his aggressive stance and stepped back. "…never mind. My business here is over." He turned around and faced his village. "Very well, Azumarill. By my merciful wishes, I shall spare you. Your fate lives on…for now." He took a step over and fell down to the forest, before gliding into the darkness.

The sun eventually took over the edge and land, safeguarding the plains from a possible return. Just out of sight, hiding behind the trees nearby, was a cloaked Charmeleon holding a petrified Azumarill.

The Charmeleon peeked around the tree and lowered his hood. He sneered. "Vile creatures…" He looked at the Azumarill caringly and kneeled down. "Miss…are you alright?"

She turned to him. Her eyes were red from crying. She sniffled loudly as new tears formed. "I…I…"

He narrowed his eyes. "I understand you've went through a lot. Please, just tell me if you're-OOF!" he sounded as she threw herself into a hug, crying into his shoulder.

"He killed him!" she wailed miserably. "He…HE KILLED HIM!" She squeezed the Charmeleon tightly.

The Charmeleon was shocked by this. "He…who did he kill?"

"46! He killed 46! He killed him! He killed all of them!" She sobbed loudly into her shoulder. "All…All they wanted…was to leave that wretched forest! None of them…deserved this! None of them did!"

The Charmeleon narrowed his eyes in concern. She wasn't making any sense with how emotionally shattered she was. It wasn't in his place to question her in this state. She needed time to rest her fragile mind before she was ready to say what happened.

He patted her back and whispered, "Miss, it's okay. It's okay." He pushed her back gently and looked her in the eyes. "Let me take you back to this Pokémon Center nearby. I know someone who can help you. Just…Just take your time to recover, then you can tell me what happened." He did his best to smile supportively. "Okay?"

Azumarill whimpered sadly. She pressed her arm against her watery eyes. Their screams…their screams still haunted her ears. His sacrifice…he did it for her. She couldn't let his wishes die in vain.

She did her best to pull herself together, if only for a moment, to say, "O…O-Okay…"

The Charmeleon helped her up and took her hand in his. He let her lean against him as he walked her to the Pokémon Center. Every so often, the kindhearted Charmeleon rubbed her back to soothe her tension. Her whimpers softened a bit. She closed her eyes, one last tear dripping from her eye.

 _I won't let your vision of peace die with you, 46. I promise. I promise with all my heart._


End file.
